Your Old When You Can’t Peform Everyday Activities According to New Study (VIDEO)
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Your Old When You Can’t Peform Everyday Activities According to New Study
Caregivers view elderly consumers as ÛÏoldÛ when they can no longer perform everyday consumption activities on their own regardless of their actual age, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.åÊ
ÛÏConsumption activities such as shopping, preparing meals, doing housework, going to the doctor, taking medications, and managing money serve as a means of identifying someone as old and a venue for working through conflicts that arise when older consumers who do not identify as old are treated as an Û÷old personÛª by family members and service providers,Û write authors Michelle Barnhart (Oregon State University) and Lisa PeníÄaloza (Bordeaux Management School).åÊ
Over 10 million Americans are providing assistance to elderly parents, and eldercare has grown into a $260 billion a year business. These numbers are projected to skyrocket in the coming years since Americans aged 85 and older are now the fastest growing segment of the population. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with consumers in their late 80s, their family members, and paid caregivers.åÊ
When older consumers didnÛªt accept being treated like an old person, they negotiated their identity with caregivers through consumption activities. Sometimes they attempted to convince through verbal arguments or prove that they are not old by performing an activity independently. Another strategy was to force caregivers to perform joint activities in a way that the older person was no longer treated as old. And one final strategy was to covertly exclude younger caregivers from an activity.åÊ
For instance, some of the older consumers hid their driving when caregivers had previously indicated that they believed the older person could no longer drive safely. ÛÏFriends and family members who provide assistance to older consumers should consider the ways they treat them as unaware, confused, dependent, at-risk, or any of the other devalued characteristics that American society commonly associates with old people. By treating older people as valued adults, they can provide needed assistance while decreasing their chances of generating conflict by threatening the older consumerÛªs identity,Û the authors conclude.
I find it interesting that this was a study in a journal of consumer research and not a psychology journal because the implications are strong. There is a lot of back and forth play between the caregivers and the people receiving care. I think they hit it on the head when they stated treat older people as valued adults. When they feel valued, they will probably actively contribute. When they feel like a victim, well they may act as such.
I see this in my own family. When my mom, 91, visited over Thanksgiving, she motored along in her walker through one of the busiest malls in Charlotte. My sibling, who is her caregiver and lives with her stated “she’s just putting on an act.” Interesting.åÊ
Older People with Positive Aging Outlook More Likely to Recover from Disability (VIDEO)
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Misconceptions About Sleep Patterns of Older Folks (VIDEO)
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Older People with Positive Aging Outlook More Likely to Recover from Disability,
Older people who embrace positive stereotypes about aging are more likely than those who hold negative stereotypes to recover after suffering from disability, a new study by the Yale School of Public Health has found.
Lead researcher Becca R. Levy and Yale colleagues showed that, of two groups with differing views of aging, the individuals in the positive age stereotype group were 44 percent more likely to recover from a severe disability. Participants included 598 individuals who were at least 70 years old and free of disability at the start of the study. They were selected from a health plan in greater New Haven, Connecticut.
The association between positive age stereotypes and recovery from disability in older persons has not been previously studied.åÊ The findings suggest that interventions to promote positive age stereotypes could extend independent living later in life.
ÛÏThis result suggests that how the old view their aging process could have an effect on how they experience it,Û said Levy, associate professor of epidemiology and psychology and director of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Division at the School of Public Health. ÛÏIn previous studies, we have found that older individuals with positive age stereotypes tend to show lower cardiovascular response to stress and they tend to engage in healthier activities, which may help to explain our current findings.Û
Recovery was based on being able to perform four activities of daily living: bathing, dressing, moving from a chair, and walking. Doing well in these activities is associated with less use of health-care facilities and longer life expectancy. The study adjusted for a number of factors, including participantsÛª age and education.
In my keynote, The Meaning of Life, one the eight points I make is about keeping a positive attitude. The older people I know who are living a quality of life (no matter what the setting) are those who have a great attitude.
